Mechanism for feeding strip or rod stock into punch presses



MECHANISM FOR FEEDING STRIP 0R ROD STOCK INTO PUNCH PRESSES J. N.WOODINGTON Filed July 17, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet 1 lmfen'fiw r J 11017770]? %d 975/2 W M Dec. 9, 1941. J. N. WOODINGTON MECHANISM FORFEEDING smur 0R ROD STOCK INTOPUNCH PRESSES Filed July 17, 1959 a 3Sheets-Sheet 2 TmfenLTar 7%00251 e? 0 t 0mg Dec. 9, 1941. J. N.WOODINGTON 2,265,332

MECHANISM FOR FEEDING STRIP OR ROD STOCK INTO PUNCH PRESSES Filed July17, 1939 3 Shee't-Sheet 3 I ITufe'riEr Patented Dec. 9, 1941 MECHANISMFOR FEEDING STRIP R ROD STOCK INTO PUNCH PRESSES John Norman Woodington,Chicago, Ill., assignor to Nachman Springfilled Corporation, Chicago,111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 17, 1939, Serial No.284,953

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a mechanism for feeding stripor rod stock into punch presses in varying lengths and for controllingthe operation of the punch press to cause the same to operate only atthe end of each feed movement of the mechanism and while the feedingmechanism is idle.

A further object of the invention provides a feed mechanism of the typespecified which is driven independently of the punch press so that itmay be associated with any type of punch press for the purposes setforth above.

A suitable embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a punch press feed mechanism constructedin accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view on an enlarged scaletaken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same taken onthe line 4--4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, on an enlarged scale, lookingthrough the feed rolls of the mechanism.

Figs. 6 and '7 are perspective views of the cam of the mechanism whichcontrols the length of the stock fed to the punch press and alsocontrols the operation of the latter.

The mechanism of this invention comprises a supporting stand or frame Iwhich is mounted upon the floor adjacent the bed of a punch press andwhich may, of course, be firmly secured to the punch press, if desired,by means of screws 2. Said member I includes what may be termed a shelf3 upon which the motor 4 is mounted, together with the gear casing 5through which the motor shaft projects and which is suitably geared to acounter shaft 6 carrying a sprocket wheel I. A sprocket chain 3 gearsthe sprocket wheel 1 to the sprocket wheel 9 on a shaft I0 mounted inbearings in the side plates I I of the upper portion of the frame Iwhich are spaced apart as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Mounted on the shaft I0 is a spur gear wheel I2 which meshes with a spurgear wheel I3 on a shaft I4 which also carries the spur gear wheel I5which meshes with the spur gear wheel I6 on the shaft II.

There is also mounted upon the shaft Ill bepin 23 extending through thebearing 24 integral with the lever 22 and is mounted at its ends in theside plates II (see Figs. 2, 3 and 4) Rigid with the shaft I 0 is one ofa pair of feed rollers 25, the other of which is rigid with the spurgear wheel I9 on the shaft 20.

Mounted upon the cross pin 26 at the other end of the lever 22 is anantifriction roller 21 which is adapted to be engaged by a cam element28 carried by a disk 29 mounted upon the shaft IT.

The cross bar 3|) at the last-mentioned end portion of the lever 22 isequipped with a threaded opening in which the threaded shank of a setscrew 3| is engaged, the latter being equipped between its ends with anannular flange 32 between which and the rigid frame element 33 acompression spring 34 is disposed, the latter acting to maintain thefeed rollers 25 in engagement with the material to be fed into thepress, shown as a flat metal strip 35 in the instance illustrated.

Disposed behind the side plates II on the said frame member 33 is aconventional wire straightening device 36 through which the strip 35 isdrawn by the said feed rolls 25 when the latter are maintained in theposition shown in Fig. 5.

As shown in Fig. 6, the circular disk 29 mounted on the shaft I I isequipped with a screw with threaded opening 31 and with a cylindricalhub element 38. Disposed about the hub member 38 is a pair of arcuatecam elements which, in the instance illustrated are disposed with theends thereof flush with each other and both thereof being held againstmovement relatively to the disk 29 by means of set screw 39 extendingthrough arcuate slots 40 in said cam element 28. The latter act inunison as a single cam extensible in length by loosening the set screw39 and moving one of said cam elements 28 relatively to the other orboth relatively to each' other and the set screw 39 in a well knownmanner. The

cam elements 28 may be disposed upon any dee sired part of the disk 29by changing the set screw to engage in any selected one of the severalthreaded opening 31.

Also mounted upon said disk 29 against the other face thereof is anadjustable cam 4I equipped with an arcuate slot through which thethreaded shank of the set screw 42 projects, said cam 4| being alsoadjustable arcuately with respect to any selected one of the severalopenings 31 in which the shank of the set screw 32 may be selectivelyengaged.

Mounted upon the right hand end of the frame is a cross bar 43 whichcarries an electric switch 44 which includes a reciprocable operatingplunger 45 maintained disposed in the path of the cam 4| by means of aspring within the switch housing.

the electric circuit 41 through asolenoid, arma- The said switch 44controls ture 48 of whichis connected with the punch pressclutch'tripping element or member 48, of conventional type, which causesthe operation of the punch press.

As shown in Fig. '7 the cam, such as 28, may include an arcuate element58 for greater ex-, tension of length, if desired, but generallyspeaking, a pair of cam elements 28 such as are shown in Fig. 6 areample to feed the longest of stock into the punch press for which thedevice is adapted.

The operation of the aforesaid mechanism is as follows: a

By reference to Fig. 4 it will be noted that the cams 28 are in the sameposition as that shown in Fig. 6 and when in such position the mechanismis adapted to feed the greatest length of strip 35 into the punch'pressduring each rotation of the disk 29 for which the mechanism is adapted,in the instance illustrated.

When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4 the feeding of thestrips 35 into the press has been almost concluded and is concluded atthe instant that the right hand end of the cam 28 strikes and depressesthe rollers 21 to di engage the feed rolls from the strip 35 tointerrupt such feeding. At the same instant, or an instant later,preferably, the cam 4i actuates the switch control plunger 45 to closethe circuit through the solenoid and thus causes the punch press clutchto be tripped and to operate upon the strip J35fed into the press, thesaid punch press operation including the cutting off of strip as ageneral rule.

While the punch press operation is taking place, the cams 28-4l rotateand after the cam 4i has passed the plunger 45 and cause the circuitthrough the solenoid to be opened, the left hand end of the cam 28 willpass the roller- 21 and thus cause the spring 34 to swing the lever 22about the pin 23 to cause the upper feed roller 25 to move back to stripfeeding position. Feeding of strip 35 now takes place until the cam 28has again reached the position wherein its right hand end, as shown inFig. 4, again strikes and depresses the roller 21 to raise the top feedroll 25 and interrupt feed.

By lengthening the cam 28 as hereinbefore described, the amount of stockthat is fed into the punch press is decreased in length in direct ratioto the increase in length of said cam 28, it being obvious that in allinstances the cam 4| will be so positioned relatively to the right handend of the cam 28 (shown in Fig. 4) to close the circuit through thesolenoid aforesaid, immediately following depression of the roller 21 bysaid cam 28. V

It has been attempted heretofore to operate the feeding mechanism fromthe punch press mechanism per se, but in instances where anyappreciablelength of material is to be fed into the press at each punch pressoperation, such mechanism has proved to be very inemcient andunsatisfactory. By providing an independently actuated mechanism asabove described, the

, feeding ofthe lengths successively into the press is accomplished withgreat efliciency, as is also the punch press operation control means tosynchronize with the said mechanism as above particularly pointed out.

I claim as my invention:

1. A strip feedmechanism for a punch press, including a pair of stripengaging rolls, a spring for maintaining the same in engagement with astrip to be fed to the press, a cam operatively associated with saidrolls for effecting separation thereof against the action of said springduring predetermined intervals, means on said cam for controlling theduration of each of said intervals, a source of power common to saidrolls and said cam operating means independent of the power actuation ofsaid press, means on the latter for'controlling the operations thereof,and means on said cam for actuating said press control means duringintervals of separation of said feed rolls.

2. A strip feed mechanism for a punch press, including a pair of stripengaging rolls, a spring for maintaining the same in engagement with astrip to be fed to the press, a cam operatively associated with saidrolls for effecting separation thereof against the action of said springduring predetermined intervals, means on said cam for controlling theduration of each of said intervals, a source of power common to saidrolls and said cam for actuating them independently of the poweractuation of said press, means on the latter for controlling theoperations thereof, and adjustable means on said cam for actuating saidpress control means during intervals of separation of said feed rolls.

3. A strip feed mechanism for a punch press, including a pair of stripengaging rolls, a spring for maintaining the same in engagement withapendent of the power actuation of said press,

means on the latter for controlling the operations thereof, and means onsaid cam for actuating said press control means during intervals ofseparation of said feed rolls.

4. A strip feed mechanism for a punch press, including a pair of stripengaging rolls, a spring for maintaining the same in engagement with astrip to be fed to the press, a rotatable member equipped withadjustable means for effecting separation of said rolls and controllingduration of said separation thereof against the action of said spring, asource of power common to said rolls and said cam operating meansindependent of the power actuation of said press, means on the latterfor controlling the operations thereof and adjustable means on said camfor actuating said press control means during intervals of separation ofsaid feed rolls.

J. NORMAN WOODINGTON.

